Degus Scientific Name

Scientifically
the degu is called "Octodon degus". Degus are mammals,
and belong to the group of "Rodentia"(rodents). More
specifically they belong to the "Caviomorpha" (The
guinea pig belongs to this group too). Within this group of "Caviomorpha"
the degu belongs to the "Octodontidae".

Not long ago the scientific magazine
"Nature"published an article about the "Caviomorpha".
It said that "Caviomorpha" don't belong to the "Rodentia",
because of the pair of extra teeth that they have. They are related
to the "Lagomorpha" (to which belongs the hare) instead.
If this is true, it would mean that the degu is not a rodent.
But if you look at the degu , you will see that it doesn't look
like a hare at all, but it much more looks like rodents. The
degu's appearance can be a reason to decide that the degu is
not a lagomorph. It is not clear to which group in the animal
world the degu should belong. Some people want to create a new
category for "Caviomorpha", next to the "Rodentia"
and the "Lagomorpha".